NBA Trade Rumors: Raptors Must Take Advantage of Market and Move Jose Calderon

The Toronto Raptors must strike while the iron is hot and pull the trigger on a trade, sending Jose Calderon to one of the teams expressing interest in him. Failure to do so would be a mistake they will soon regret.

Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail quoted Coach Dwane Casey talking about interest that Calderon has drawn around the NBA. 

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"We’re trying to hold on to him and keep him, but he has played his way into a very high status as a point guard...A lot of teams have been calling and wanting him."

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If a lot of teams are calling for him, the Raptors can move Calderon and easily get the better end of that move.

That is a fine stance to take in public, but in private Casey and General Manager Bryan Colangelo need to give Calderon a tremendous bear hug for having a hot streak right before the trade deadline. 

Generally speaking, Calderon is a 30-year-old, pass-first point guard that has averaged just under 10 points a night. He is far from an irreplaceable, offensive juggernaut. 

So, the fact that "a lot of teams are calling and wanting him" should be music to the Raptors' ears. Actually, take a look at his last five games and tell me if you notice a trend. 

	Minutes	Points	Assists
Feb. 12: Los Angeles Lakers	37	30	6
Feb. 14: New York Knicks	39	25	9
Feb. 15: San Antonio Spurs	34	16	11
Feb. 17: Charlotte Bobcats	42	14	8
Feb. 22: Detroit Pistons	33	6	8

The time to make this move is right now—literally. The Raptors don't play again until next Tuesday and to say that Calderon is leveling off would be a huge understatement. If they bring him back then the trade value is only going to drop. The farther we get from the games against the Lakers and Knicks, the less enthralled general managers are going to be. 

Toronto has to make this move happen during the All-Star break. The market will absolutely never be higher than it right now. At this moment, Calderon doesn't look like a slightly above average player. No, his statistics in recent games suggest Calderon is a superstar. 

The trade deadline is the best time to get the maximum amount of value for a player. Teams are a lot less rational than they would be at the beginning of the season, as it's crystal clear what a team's strengths and weaknesses are. 

It may well be that the Raptors want to keep Calderon around. However, if they choose to do that then Toronto will lose a lot of value. It won't be long before the production isn't anywhere near as great and the teams aren't calling. 

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